The message posted on the door of the Saint-Esprit church in Bayonne in the southwest of France was laconic: “Following a fire, church closed (until further notice.)”

The church, a heritage monument, is the latest target of a wave of anti-religious acts plaguing the Basque city and its surroundings.

In Bayonne, religious properties of Muslims, Jews and Christians have been targeted since October 2019.

There is a pattern in the attack on holy places, confirmed Jean-René Etchegaray, mayor of Bayonne. “This is not a religious war, but a war against religion,” Etchegaray said.

“This worries me because Bayonne is a city of religious tolerance, where historically Israelites have always had their place,” said the mayor, who is a distant cousin of the late French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.

The city’s Jewish cemetery is wedged between a petrol station and a water tower and is surrounded by a high wall. It remains locked.

On the other side of the road, a Catholic church has its cemetery, with its gates wide open. The crosses of the tombs seem more decorative than protective.

However, it was the Jewish cemetery that the thugs targeted in the beginning of this month.

Peace vigil

At the town centre, a stone’s throw away from Mayor Etchegaray’s office, the ecumenical group of Bayonne had gathered for a meeting at the Protestant assembly hall.

“In Bayonne, the situation used to be calm. But now it’s getting worse,” a Protestant woman said.

“I am revolted, full of sadness and anger,” said a Catholic with a Basque beret on his head.

“The less people believe in God, the more they are against Him,” he said.

Members of an interreligious group that holds an annual “peace vigil” also seemed to be at a loss.

“What else can we do but show our disapproval each time?” they ask.

No one is forthcoming with an explanation.

Bayonne is not a bad place, said Father Michel Garat, parish priest of Saint Vincent de Paul parish and president of an interreligious group.

His ministry is located among low-rent housing blocks, where drug trafficking takes place in the open.

Opposite there is the café “Le Saint-Pierre”, run by a Muslim.

Secular thinking

Father Garat pointed out to a “worrying social trend” throughout the country, linked to a “decline in secular thinking”.

“In recent years, some people have started to think that all religions are violent. Those who are sane stick to their words, others take action,” he said.

Vandalism is not limited to Bayonne.

In Pau, which is in Béarn, nine statues of the Virgin Mary were targeted.

“Is it the act of the evil spirit?” asked Father Jean-Jacques Dufau, a town center parish priest.